Gabriel’s Ghost

The Dock Five Universe Series, Book 1

By: Linnea Sinclair

Narrated by: Dina Pearlman

Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning author Linnea Sinclair brings her special sizzle to science fiction with this action-packed blend of otherworldly adventure and sexy stellar romance.

After a decade of piloting interstellar patrol ships, former captain Chasidah Bergren, onetime pride of the Sixth Fleet, finds herself court-martialed for a crime she didn't commit and shipped off to a remote prison planet from which no one ever escapes. But when she kills a brutal guard in an act of self-defense, someone even more dangerous emerges from the shadows. Gabriel Sullivan alpha mercenary, smuggler, and rogue is supposed to be dead. Yet now this seductive ghost from Chazs past is offering her a ticket to freedom for a price. Someone in the Empire is secretly breeding jukors: vicious and uncontrollable killing machines that have long been outlawed. Gabriel needs Chaz to help him stop the practice before it decimates Imperial space. The mission means putting their lives on the line but the tensions that heat up between them may be the riskiest part of all.

©2005 Linnea Sinclair (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Great scifi romance!

This was a fun and exciting read! I have downloaded the entire series! Searching for more by Linnea Sinclair, hope they will put her other works on audio!

Excellent Space Opera

I’m a new fan! So glad I stumbled upon this book series. I’m going to recommend it to all my friends.

Find other Words!!

Any additional comments?

Only gave a 3 for Story because of the constant repetitions of some words. Like 'Obsidian'. I think I got the idea of Sully's eye colour after it was referred to as Obsidian for the 15th time. Pity that wasn't the last time.

Audiobook better than actual book

Would you listen to Gabriel’s Ghost again? Why?

I would listen to it again if I were doing a re-read of the series.

What did you like best about this story?

The love scenes.

What about Dina Pearlman’s performance did you like?

I wasn't planning on re-reading any of her books, but this was on sale at Audible and from the sample it sounded pretty good. Another example of an audiobook making me enjoy the book more. Dina Pearlman is the narrator of this book. When I read it initially I didn't know what all the hoopla was about this book. It was just okay to me. But the narration was so wonderful that I ended up really liking the book and have upped my rating from 3 stars to 4 stars. I just wish that Games of Command was an audiobook because I'm struggling through that one right now.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Meh

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, definitely did not hold my interests. Moved way too slow, way too often.

What could Linnea Sinclair have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not a bad plot, but the way the story was told was very boring.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration wasn't bad, but could've been much better.

Do you think Gabriel’s Ghost needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Either way I will not listen to the next book.

great story but the narrator...

Great story but the narrator can't stay consistent in male voices! Almost ruined it for me. You couldn't always tell what male was talking, like she couldn't keep them straight. Even in the end the narrator got mixed up with leading male and leading female voices. 90% they sounded feminine.

I won't be reading the rest of the series.

I love SciFi but this was just not my cup of tea! I did not like the Characters. The story was so-so.

Solid Genre (sci fi) Romance

Genre (sci fi) romance can either go good or really, really, bad. In this case, we have a solidly written plot, surprises aplenty, a decent heroine with intelligence and logic, and a hero that doesn't have to save her all the time/has his own issues to deal with.

When I read a sci fi romance novel, I always hope the sci fi is the emphasis and has some romance thrown in. That's exactly the balance I found with Gabriel's Ghost. No sex, no alpha male, no idiotic female. Just two people thrown into bad situations who fight their way out using their own unique skills.

The pacing is excellent, with lots of action and adventure to keep you page-turning. In addition, there are several surprises thrown in there that I did not in any way foresee. I especially liked that the author caught the feeling of space and space docks - it wasn't just two people in a spaceship fighting over their attraction, as so often happens. There is a strong over-arching plot and several subplots for the protagonists to explore.

In all, one of the better reads I've had lately and I'll definitely be delving into further novels in this universe.

Of note is the narration. I wish the narrator didn't do accents - the hero's accent sounded like a New Yorker trying to channel British but getting some kind of mangled Australian. It was very off-putting.

Gabriel's Ghost

Very nice. Both books one and two were fantastic. Loved the storyline, action, was drawn right into it and couldn't stop listening. Was actually annoyed I didn't have the book so I could read faster than it was being read, but the different voices were done quite well by the reader. Loved it. Will buy the books if I ever see them in the book store, despite having it on audio. Is a story I could easily listen to again and again. Lets have it for the scifi romances (there aren't many of them).

Different narrator for first and last chapters?

Thankfully, the narrator for the first chapter was not the narrator for the rest of the book except for the Final Chapter. The narrator that did the bulk had a more mature sounding voice which works better for the main characters. The first and last chapters sounded like they were being narrated by a 12 year old